Reference: Version Line

Rick Retro’s Reference Rundown #3: Header Block, Version Line

Retro Reviews Reference

In the Header Block, after the Primary Information Line, but before the Secondary Information Line, when applicable you will sometimes see a Version Line telling you that I’m reviewing a special version of the work.

The format for this line is:
<version> (year) #h #m

In most cases I will have previously reviewed the original version of the work. If I haven’t, it's probably not currently available.

The Primary Info Line gives the year and length of the original version of the work, but this Version Line might have a different year and length when a new version is released later and adds or removes length.

A special case is that if a movie was originally released simultaneously in both 3D and 2D to movie theaters, I might watch and review the 3D version first. But I will treat the 2D version as the original version, and not use a Version Line, since home 3D televisions are no longer in production, and not easily available for most of my readers.

The 3D version will then include a version line:
<3D> (year) #h #m
And in these cases the year and length will match the 2D year and length seen in the Primary Info Line.

If a 2D movie is later upgraded to 3D for a new release, that will be apparent because the year on the Version Line for the 3D release will be different than the year on the Title Line for the original 2D release.

When a new version has an official name, typically included on a DVD cover, for example, then I will capitalize the name on the Version Line. I will only use the word “Version” in those cases.

When there is no official name, I will use a description of the version in lower case.

Here are some examples of typical film versions you may see:
<3D>
<colorized>
<Director’s Cut>
<dubbed>
<extended>
<Extended Edition>
<Special Edition>
<unrated>
<Unrated Version>

For a written work of literature, you might see:
<abridged> (though I will probably avoid reviewing abridged versions except to denounce them)
<English translation by [translator]>

Originally posted to text group 2025-01-03
Last updated 2025-02-02

Retro Reviews Reference Pages:

Reference Overview
Header Block:
Primary Information Line
Version Line
Secondary Information Line
Franchise/Series Lines
Opinion Block:
Grade Line
Entertainment Quality Line
Dark Whimsy Line
POPCAP Line
Left-Right Line
Footer Block:
Review Lines
Genre Line
Content Block:
Overall Content Line
Content Detail Line
Viewpoint Block:
My View Line
Christian Values Line
Biblical Values Line
Political Values Line

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